Getting It Right
by Joker236
Summary: Rose and Tentoo must deal with the aftermath of being left at Bad Wolf Bay. Tentoo must adapt to a new world while Rose has to accept a new Doctor.
1. Chapter 1

A young woman, a lanky man, and another woman who looked much older than both of them were all seated in a train car. The two women sat on the bench across from the man. One of them, the elder one, was chattering into a mobile phone, alerting all her high-class friends about her return from vacation in Fennoscandia. She blathered on about cathedrals she had not visited, beautiful snowy mountains she had not seen, and interesting people she had not met. In reality, the only part of the entire region she had actually seen was a horrifically cold beach and the train station of an even more horrifically small town (in her eyes, at least).

The other woman had her glazed eyes averted out the window, watching scenery go by as she let her traveling companion's mindless conversation push away any thoughts. Her hands lay folded in her lap. Without the occasional blink and the slow rise and fall of her chest, she could've passed for a statue.

The third traveler, the man, looked unsure. He let his eyes wander around their small box, sometimes watching the young woman across from him, sometimes the older woman needlessly accentuate her phrases with wild hand motions. Then he'd look back down.

"Karen, you wouldn't believe it! The skies were so clear! They didn't have the zeppelins! I saw maybe one the whole time. It's so old-timey. They didn't even have any skyscrapers either! I don't know how you'd survive. I just want to get back to England for a nice cup of tea. And to see my lovely Tony and Pete. They didn't have any good tea there." The woman's monologue was paused so her friend could exclaim over the wonders of the primitive north. No good tea? Outrageous. "I did have a good time. And Rose was over there for her studies. She's coming home with me. The whole family will be back together." Another breath as Karen made some comment. "She's a right smart one, Rose is. Torchwood says she's the brightest one they got working for 'em. She's even bringing back a bloke, someone she met on her travels." Jackie let her friend get in a question. "Oh, they're not together. He's gonna work for Torchwood. Nice fellow. Well, I've got to go. Let's meet up for lunch sometime this week! You can tell me _all_ about how your family's been." A slight break before: "All right, I'll tell her. Bye!"

Jackie hung up her mobile and put it back in her purse. "Rose, that was Karen Newman. She says hello and welcome home."

"All right," Rose responded, distraction coloring her tone. "Tell her I said hello when you see her for lunch."

"Okay. Well, I'm gonna go find a bathroom. I'll be right back." Jackie climbed out of her seat and shuffled through the train car.

"Is your human travel always this slow and tedious?" the man asked Rose. "If I have to hear your mother chatting with one more of her stupid friends, I just might—"

"Doct—um—we'll be switching trains soon. I guess you're not really used to human methods of travel—or, well, since you're only a few days old, _any_ method of travel—I mean . . ."

The man gazed at her with a look of simultaneous confusion and understanding. "I still have my—his—_our_ memories. And I can't remember it ever having taken this long to getting around in a single hemisphere. How do you humans ever get anything done?"

"This is considered a long trip," Rose explained. "I guess your—his—definition of long trip is a couple million years, eh?"

"Try trillions. Actually, there was one adventure with Martha and Jack. I—he—um—we need to get this sorted. Rose, he and I are—"

"I'm back. Didn't take too terribly long. This train isn't nearly as crowded as the zeppelins. Now, Doctor, where are you planning on staying in London?"

The man shot a stranded look to Rose and she piped, "I've got the spare bedroom in my flat. He can stay there until he finds his own place. Or whatever."

"All right. And he is going to work at Torchwood? I mean—him being alien and—well, I don't know what he is—but—"

"Yes, Mum. He'll work at Torchwood. If you want to," Rose added. She turned imploring eyes up to him.

He smiled. "Torchwood! I'd love to! I can be the Captain Jack Harkness of this universe. Although maybe not as good-looking. What do you think, Rose?" The woman blushed and looked down at her hands. This caused the Doctor's grin to widen. Suddenly he slammed the heels of his hands onto his thighs and groaned, "When is this infernal ride going to end? We must be going back to the beginning of time if it's taking this long."

"Doctor, be patient," Rose chided laughingly. Realizing that she'd addressed him as "Doctor", she turned her gaze back to the floor quickly. The Doctor looked the happiest his metacrisis duplicate form had ever been.

A voice came over the sound system with the words: "We'll arrive in Paris in ten minutes."

The Doctor sighed and slumped back in his seat. "Ten whole minutes. If I'd had the TARDIS, we could've gone back to the 1800s and eaten lunch in all the time this train ride was taking."

"We've still got the ride from Paris to London after this," Jackie mentioned.

"You've got to be kidding me," the Doctor groaned.

After another train ride then a ride in a car driven by Pete Tyler's personal chauffeur, they'd arrived at the Tyler mansion. "Pete, honey! We're back!" Jackie called after they were ushered through the door by a smartly dressed butler. "We saved the universe! All of them!"

Pete appeared at the top of the staircase. He strode down quickly to hug Jackie and give her a kiss. Then, he hugged Rose and nodded at the Doctor. "I missed both of you. Glad to see you back safe. Hello, Doctor. It's good to see you again. Erm . . . why are you here?"

"Oh, he's not the real Doctor," Jackie said quickly. "He's a clone or something."

"A biological metacrisis," the Doctor explained. "The Doctor was dying, so he regenerated, but he didn't need all the regeneration energy. He siphoned it off into his hand that he'd lost and regrown previously in the regeneration. Then, a human woman, Donna, touched the hand, and between her life force, the regeneration energy, and the Doctor's DNA in the hand, it created me. Part-Time-Lord, part-human. All the memories of the Doctor too. And the Time-Lord Doctor left me here."

"Okay," Pete said, obviously not understanding much of the explanation at all.

"Mummy!" A small blond-haired boy stumbled around a corner and latched onto Jackie's leg. She reached down and picked him up.

"Hello, Tony. Mummy missed you. I thought about you every single minute."

"Did you stop the bad guys?" Tony asked, sticking his thumb in his mouth.

"We did. And we saved the stars." She combed her hand through his mop of hair tenderly as he nuzzled his head into her neck. "Rose is back too."

"Rosie!" Tony shouted, looking at his older sister.

"Hey, Tony," she cooed.

The Doctor leaned closer to Rose. "How old is he now?" he muttered

"Three and a half."

He nodded and then leaned over and murmured, "Can I call you Rosie too?" She glared at him and lightly elbowed him in the ribs as he chuckled in her ear. "Do the people at Torchwood call you Rosie?" She glared and him and elbowed him harder.

"It's almost six o'clock." Jackie was addressing them when they zoned back into the conversation. "Would you two like to stay for dinner before you go get the Doctor settled? Pete says that his cooks are making some sort of pasta."

"Sure, Mum, we'll stay," Rose replied. She'd naturally fallen into mediating most of the conversation between her parents and the Doctor. He looked completely lost in the new universe, especially in the large mansion that Pete, her mother, and Tony inhabited along with a small infantry of butlers, housekeepers, cooks, and gardeners. "I'll give the Doctor a quick tour of the place."

She grabbed his arm and pulled him away from her family after Pete waved them off. He quickly fell into step beside her. "Your family lives in a palace," he stated.

"Pretty nice, huh? Especially without the attacking Cybermen. Definite improvement from last time we were here."

"Yup. They've got you now." Rose beamed up at him. "First time we visited this universe, I said 'All these universes and none of them got it right'," he mused, "but I think this one is doing the best I've seen so far. Your mum and Pete are alive and together. They've got you and Tony. This one got it right."

Rose quietly said, "Especially now that you're here." There was silence before she began, in her best tour-guide voice, "Welcome to the Tyler Estate, home of Pete Tyler, his wife, Jackie, and their son, Tony. On the first floor, you have the kitchen, the dining room, a ballroom, a living room, and a sitting room. The second floor has the bedrooms, another sitting room, Dad's study, and a playroom for Tony. There's also a library, sans swimming pool, somewhere. Anything in particular you're absolutely dying to see?"

"Well, I've already seen the ballroom and the kitchen," the Doctor replied with a laugh. "I'd much rather see Torchwood. Bit dull. Bedrooms and sitting rooms and dining rooms. Do you humans need a room for everything? No wonder all your cities are overcrowded! Houses stacked on top of each other."

"Not all of us can fit an entire city into a blue box."

"So, you work at Torchwood?" the Doctor blurted. "Torchwood in this universe. What's it like?"

"They were the ones who created the dimension cannon from some alien tech. It's a lot like Jack's Torchwood. Sorting out alien problems here in London. They've got a museum, kinda like Van Statton's. Remember him? Bunch of alien stuff that's fallen to Earth."

The Doctor made a noise in his throat. "Anything interesting?"

"We had some live blob alien about a year ago. You know what's weird? The TARDIS still translates languages inside my head. Like—like I'm still connected to it."

"Now, _that_ is interesting. Hmm . . ."

"Oh, this universe is sorta different from the other one. Even this solar system. They've got some new planet, between Saturn and Uranus. Ceres, it's called. Guess you've gotta learn a whole new universe."

"I always liked a challenge," he mused. "Just wish I had a way to explore it."

"You're stuck looking through telescopes and using satellites with us stupid apes, eh?"

"Absolute rubbish. And the waiting around!"

Rose laughed at the man's distress. "Oy, it can't be too bad! A whole new universe to explore! New aliens, new discoveries, new worlds."

"New body," he muttered to himself. not quietly enough for Rose not to hear it, though. Her lips pressed against each other. "Well . . . what about this playroom? Why not start my exploring with the toys?"

The Doctor bounded away like an over-sized puppy. He looked back at Rose to make sure she was following. She did but at a much slower pace. Thoughts were zipping through her mind about the bittersweet gift her Doctor had given to her. An exact copy. Same looks. Same memories. One heart. So similar, but so different.

She walked up the grand staircase and headed to Tony's playroom. She heard the frantic rattle of the Doctor explaining something and the sound of plastic wheels being scraped across the floor.

". . . energy source, and it should work perfectly. As long as the propeller continues to revolve . . ." His rant dissolved into a low mutter speckled with technical words. Rose arrived in the doorway and leaned against it to watch. The Doctor was tinkering with a toy zeppelin Jackie had bought for her son.

"_Jiggery-pokery, is that a technical term?" She grinned up at an older man with short black hair, and caricature-like features._

_His gray eyes lit up as he smiled and responded, "I came first in jiggery-pokery, what about you?"_

"_No, I failed hulabaloo."_

Her lips widened a bit at the memory of her first Doctor and his leather jacket. She watched as the metacrisis Doctor set down the plastic zeppelin he'd been playing with and turned something. The zeppelin rose into the air and hovered there.

Tony smiled in delight, automatically reaching to touch the object. The zeppelin drifted a couple inches away when the small hand hit it, but it stayed in the air.

"That's not really that much. When I was your age, I constructed a whole fleet of jets. One of our favorite Gallifreyan games was to battle with these things. You learned some good strategies. I was terrible at the games. During my first battle, my fleet was decimated. Oh well. Guess that's why I took the name Doctor instead of Warrior or Soldier." He chuckled to himself. "Wasn't much of a strategist. Guess that's why I need friends. Wing and a prayer, that's me. Now, what's this?"

He picked up a device that had buttons that caused it to light up and make beeping noises. Rose had seen Tony fiddle with it for hours at a time before. Tony toddled over to the Doctor and picked up the toy. He began pressing the buttons and looking at the Doctor when the thing lit up. The older man frowned at the device.

"Curious. Is that all it does?" The boy nodded. "Oh well. Maybe we can make it do a little more, eh? Now, what if we linked it to the zeppelin, so when you pushed the buttons, the zeppelin would move or stop or whatever. Or!" The Doctor ran over to another object in the room and picked it up. "We could link it to this!" Tony laughed and beamed. The Doctor stopped his frantic dissection of his new toy and stared at the boy.

"Tony! Rose! Time for dinner!" The shrill voice of Jackie Tyler pierced the ears of the three people.

The Doctor and Tony looked up and noticed Rose in the doorway. Tony stood up and ran to the doorway.

"Hands," Rose reminded the boy. He nodded and changed direction to head to the bathroom. She turned to the man. "You, too."

"Um, Rose? Where's the bathroom?"

"I'll show you."

She led him down the hallway and into a bedroom. "This is the guest room," the woman commentated. She walked over to another doorway. "Here's the bathroom."

The Doctor nodded and walked into the bathroom. He turned on the faucets and looked around for the soap. He pumped it twice and let the liquid settle in his hand. "Soap pumps. How domestic." He wet his hands and rubbed the soap all over them. Suddenly and quickly he turned and grabbed Rose's hands.

"Oy!" she yelped at the surprise and slick feeling. With a glare, she pulled her hands out of his. "What was that for?"

"Just thought your hands might need some cleaning, too." He turned back to the sink and rinsed all the soap off his hands. Rose moved into the spot in front of the sink and placed her hands under the running water. Once his hands were dried, the Doctor walked out of the bathroom and headed to the dining room.

Rose finished drying her hands and headed in the same direction he had. Downstairs, everyone was already sitting. Pete sat at the head of the table with Jackie on one side and Tony in between them. The Doctor had left the chair on Pete's other side open so Rose sat there.

They all began eating the lasagna letting silence reign in the dining room.

"So how was 'Norway'?" Pete asked finally.

"It was horrible," Jackie said, lapsing into the real story. "The Daleks had taken over the Earth! And they'd done something with the planets. There were planets in the sky! I don't know. But there was one humanoid Dalek thing."

"He is—was the creator of the Daleks," the Doctor interrupted.

"Exactly! He wanted to destroy the universe to get rid of all life or something. He was gonna destroy all the other universes, too. But we stopped him, we did! The Doctor and Rose and me and Mickey and that one." She pointed at the meta-Doctor. "Wiped them all out!" The younger man tensed up a bit. "Then we returned the Earth to its original location. And all the other planets. Like real heroes."

"How is Mickey? Did he make it back all right?"

Jackie frowned. "Mickey stayed back. In the other universe. He said there was nothing left for him in this universe so he might as well start there. I think he rather fancied that Martha girl. You know that lost-puppy look he used to always have around Rose? He had the exact same look!"

Rose coughed lightly, and the Doctor shifted in his chair. "But Mickey's fine," the younger Tyler woman added quickly. "He told me he's going to try to join that universe's Torchwood or something like that."

"Well, that's good. Mickey never was completely content here. I guess that means you'll need a new partner." Pete always thought of business first when it came to anything concerning Torchwood employees.

"Won't the Doctor be her partner?" Jackie chimed.

Rose's eyes widened. "The Doct—I—no, he can't—I mean, he's not familiar with this universe. He'd be better staying in the office and learning about it than out in the field with me. Isn't there an agent with some sort of field experience that doesn't have a partner?"

Pete looked at the new Doctor and the pain Rose's words had caused but replied, "Yes, of course. I think Samuel Kline is in need of a partner. He's got an impressive record under his belt, too."

"Isn't he the good-looking one?" Rose internally groaned at her mum's blatant attraction to men half her age. "The tall one with the blue eyes and brown hair?"

"That's him."

The conversation ceased again as everybody focused on their meals. The sounds of forks hitting plates and mastication were the only things resounding through the large room.

"Pete, is it okay if I take a few days off to rest?" Rose asked.

"Sure, take a few days. Get sleep, get him settled in. Will you be ready to go back in Wednesday?"

"Should be, thanks. Anything interesting while I was gone?"

"Not really. A lot of people dealing with paper work. A couple Weevils here and there. Run-of-the-mill sort of work, though. All the fun was over in the other universe."

"All right." Rose took a final bite of pasta and put her fork down. She waited quietly as everyone else finished their meals, too. They all hoped somebody else would start a conversation.

Jackie sighed. "Well, I'm going to go put Tony to bed. It's already late." She picked up the three-year-old boy and scurried off with him.

"So, Doctor," Pete started, "are you planning on working at Torchwood?"

"I was hoping to," the Doctor responded, "if you've got a spot for me."

"An alien, sort-of, in Torchwood? We always have room for those! Your knowledge of the universe and technology should be extremely helpful. How about you start Monday after next?"

"What day is it?"

"Thursday."

"Okay! I'll start then! Excellent! Fantastic!" Rose tensed again at the word.

"Well then, we'd better get Torchwood's newest employee home," Rose mumbled. She stood up. "I'll probably be over sometime tomorrow, Pete. Or maybe it'll be a little later."

The Doctor furrowed his brow but followed her head. "Rose, are you not going to tell your mum—"

"We really must be off," Rose quipped. "Good-bye, Pete. Tell Mum I said good-bye, too."

"Okay, Rose, but she'd really—"

"I'll call!" Rose rushed out the door, and the Doctor had to run to catch up with her.

"Rose! Rose! Rose!" He called. She did not react to his calls. He finally caught up with her and grabbed her elbow, but she jerked her arm away. "Rose, what's wrong?"

"Let's just go back to my flat. The bus stop isn't far."

"But Rose, what's going on with you?"

She sped up her pace and scrounged through her bag that she'd picked up at their house. "Let's hope I have enough for bus fare." She pulled out some money as they reached the bus stop and began counting it. "Damn it," she whispered. "There's only enough for one of us, so you go," she said to her companion. "Get off at the third stop. It's on Crescent, just two blocks past the bus stop. On the sixth floor. You'll see my name plaque. Here's a spare key. Alarm code is 4040."

"Rose, we can both walk."

"No, no, that won't do. You go ahead. Get rested. I'll see you back there."

"Rose." He lightly touched her arm. "It's not safe for you to walk alone this late."

"It's still light out. And I know my way around. I'll be fine."

"Please, Rose." She shook her head, and he surrendered in frustration, allowing her to place the money in his hand. He tried to catch her eye, but she was determined to keep her eyes down. "Rose," he whispered.

"That's your bus," she whispered back as a long vehicle approached. "Just remember my instructions."

"Rose, let me walk with you." She turned her back and made her way down the sidewalk. "Well then," he said loudly enough that she could hear. ". . . allons-y." As he boarded the bus, he couldn't see the tears that had started falling from Rose's eyes.

The Doctor found Rose's flat with only two detours along the way. He went exploring as soon as he was inside. There were two bedrooms, and it was obvious which one was Rose's although it was the farthest the room could look to Rose's room on the TARDIS while still being distinctly Rose. The guest room had a burgundy bedspread and a simple brown dresser. The room also had its own bathroom. Bored with the generic room, the Doctor flicked off the light and traveled back to Rose's room.

He liked this room. It felt like Rose. There was a light-blue bedspread. The floor was cluttered with her belongings. She obviously hadn't been bothered with tidying up before her journey to a different universe. This room had two doors that led to rooms jutting outward from the room. One was a small closet with clothes hung rakishly inside. The other was another bathroom that looked almost identical to the one in his room.

After taking in the bedroom, the Doctor walked back to the living room. The door from the hallway opened into this room. The room was also combined with the kitchen. The only furniture in the living room was a television that looked a little more advanced than the ones of Rose's London, a black leather couch, two black chairs, and a bookshelf.

With a grin, the Doctor strode over to the bookshelf and looked over the titles. "New world, new books, new authors." He only recognized a couple of names on the shelf. He settled into one of the chairs, excited for the prospect of reading an entirely new literature.

An hour later, he'd read two books (Ridiculous human eyes! If he were his old self, he could've read one hundred books in the same time.) And he realized that it had been far too long since he'd seen Rose. The walk couldn't be much more than thirty minutes.

The Doctor picked up another book. _I hope Rose just decided to stop for groceries or at a friend's house_. He started reading the next book and read the first page six times. He slammed it shut, ran his hand through his hair, and stood. _I'll just go downstairs._ He grabbed the key she'd given him and walked to the street. He looked both ways for the woman, but she wasn't there. _Well, I'll just wait a few minutes down here_. Seven minutes and no sign of Rose later, he walked to the apartment.

Worry had turned into agitation. He tried reading the book again but couldn't even begin to concentrate. Then he paced around the apartment a couple times and checked the clock. 8:49.

He paced some more. _She probably just met a friend in the street. Stopped for a chat. Rose is fine. She can take of herself. She wouldn't get hurt._ He walked back down the stairs to the street. Stood around for a few minutes. Back to the apartment. 9:02.

He sat down in the chair and took a few deep breaths. By the time he'd inhaled three times, he heard the sound of a key entering the door. The Doctor almost jumped out of the chair in excitement but instead grabbed the book and pretended to read.

The door opened. "Hello," Rose called. "I'm exhausted. I'm going to head to bed. Hope you found everything okay. See you tomorrow." She shuffled through the room straight into her bedroom. The Doctor's grin that had appeared when she did fell swiftly. Her excessively long walk had done no good. He sighed and concentrated on the book.

Four hours later, he'd gotten through just as many books. His mind continued to wander to the woman who was sleeping in a room just down the hallway and her obvious agitation. After setting down _Master of the Rings_, the Doctor walked back to the bookshelf and ran a finger along the book's spines. He slid out a lengthy book about the British Revolution of 1818 and carried it back to the chair. He was finishing up the foreword when he heard a terrible noise from one of the rooms down the hall.

It was a miserable, heart-wrenching sob.

The man stood and nearly ran down the hallway. The door to Rose's room was open, so he pushed it open a little more and stopped there.

Rose was curled up on the floor with her face hidden. However, he could recognize the shaking of the shoulders that indicated weeping. And it broke his heart.

He left the doorway, because he couldn't stand to watch her crying any more. He walked over to the small kitchen and decided that only the most British of drugs could solve this problem. He quickly located a kettle and searched through the cabinets for a teabag. Then he set the kettle to boil and began to make tea.

Carrying the mug filled with tea carefully, the Doctor returned to Rose's room. She was in the same position that she'd been in when he first saw her. Slowly, he approached and set the tea a foot away from her. Then, he backed away.

She stared at the tea with no movement, and the Doctor caught a glimpse of her tear-streaked face. He watched from the doorway as she tucked her head down again, completely ignoring the tea. He continued to stand there and watch as the girl cried and the tea cooled. Eventually, the Doctor decided that his presence was only upsetting her further and walked to his own room down the hallway. Forgetting to take off his suit, he got into the bed and stared at the ceiling, trying to ignore any sounds from the other room. Soon, he was asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all the favorites, follows and reviews. I won't be updating regularly (I have sort of on-demand inspiration, so the more reviews the more motivated I am.) But here's chapter two. Sorry if you think the first part is really angsty. Rose and the Doctor are both working through major issues, so I figured some general moping is merited.**

Rose woke up from where she'd fallen asleep: on the floor. She looked around her room and saw the infernal, untouched mug of tea. She grimaced at the memory of last night and the idea that that man had seen her in such a state. It was already 7:14 so she stood up, grabbed the mug, and walked to her kitchen.

Fortunately, he hadn't awoken yet. She put some peanut butter on toast and ate it quickly. Then, she picked up a note card and scribbled "Going for a walk. We'll go shopping when I'm back. RT" She left the note on the counter, grabbed a set of keys, and walked out the door.

She began to wander. She'd walk a block, then turn a corner, walk two blocks, turn a different way. Rose knew this part of London since she'd lived there almost four years. She took frequent walks in the morning before she would head to Torchwood. The purpose was to clear her head, and if she needed anything at the moment, it was a clear head. The woman continued down the sidewalk with her thoughts blazing. She needed them gone, so she broke into a run. She sprinted a couple blocks, then slowed to a jog before sprinting again. After ten minutes of this vigorous exercise, she felt like she was about to pass out. But at least her head was clear.

Rose looked around to get her bearings. Between all her turns, she'd ended up only five blocks from her flat. She walked the rest of the distance with heavy breathing and collapsed on the couch as soon as she got into her flat.

"Good morning, Rose," the Doctor said quietly and cautiously from his place in one of the chairs.

She looked over to see the clone reading a book on some British revolution that had occurred in this world. "Morning," she grumbled. She shot upright and walked to her room to take a shower and change from her sweaty clothes.

She used the shower to gain some valuable thinking time where she knew he couldn't barge in. Part of her accepted this man as the Doctor, but another part couldn't help but think of the other Doctor, the Time Lord one. In her own universe.

She turned the faucets, dried herself, and put on clothes. Then, she took a deep breath and stepped into the main part of her flat.

The Doctor was still in the same chair that he'd been in twenty minutes earlier when she'd gone into the shower. He looked at her as she walked in and tentatively moved around to sit in the other chair. She watched him as he slowly closed the book and focused his full attention on her.

"You need clothes," she said simply.

"I suppose."

She rolled her eyes. "You can't just go out in the same suit every day."

"Well."

"It's not like the Doctor. People will notice. You'll need different clothes for Torchwood anyway."

"Then let's go."

The Doctor seemed eager to go shopping and spend time with her. Rose, however, was reluctant about the trip. She had no clue how things would go. She also had very little clue how to help an adult man shop. However, with an internal groan, she grabbed her bag, wallet, and set of keys. The Doctor was already waiting at the door. She set the alarm, and they began their adventure through the shops of London.

They started off at larger department store. As they were walking through, Rose commented, "I first saw the other Doctor when I was working at a store like this. You know, with the big ears and nose. And that black leather jacket." She laughed a little. "Back then, I didn't really think I had much of a future besides working jobs as a shop-girl my whole life just like my mum. Now, I'm one of the top agents at Torchwood."

The Doctor smiled at her reminiscing. "And you're brilliant at it. You're amazing."

"Adventuring in the other universe with him showed me that there's more than just shops and chips. He taught me so much."

The Doctor fell silent. She still didn't think of him as the same person as the other him. They reached the men's section of the store.

"Just find some clothes. Here's some money," Rose said, handing over some bills. "If you need help, I'll be wandering."

The Doctor nodded, and they parted ways. Rose looked at all the clothes in the men's section but didn't find anything she felt like suggesting for the man. She walked over to the women's side to pass some time.

While she was looking through dress pants, someone tapped her on the shoulder. She spun around to see a heavily-freckled face she recognized.

"Hello, Savannah!" she exclaimed, hugging her friend. Savannah was one of the other females from Torchwood, and through their work, she had become close friends with Rose. Savannah was the only one outside of Rose's family that knew the real story about Rose.

"Rose, you're back from your travels! How was it?"

"Oh, it was wonderful! I'll have to tell you all about it sometime." Savannah and Rose both knew that anything alien couldn't be discussed in a department store. "How have things been around the office?"

"Oh, just normal stuff. Same old, same old. How about I come around to your place sometime to talk?"

"Su—oh, no. I, um, well . . . I have a guest, sort of. Why don't I go by yours and tell you about it? Speaking of which, why aren't you at work today?"

"Boss gave me a day off. He's been letting us take them what with the stars returning."

"Oh, . . ." Rose paused. "Why don't I come by your place this afternoon and tell you about Norway?"

Savannah smiled and tucked a strand of her chestnut-brown hair behind an ear. "Yeah, that'd be good. I think I'll be around my flat this afternoon. Just stop by for a cuppa and some talking."

Rose spotted the Doctor walking towards her with bags in his hands. "Well, I've got to go," she quickly spoke. "See you later today?"

"Oh, okay. Goodbye, Rose!" Savannah hugged her before venturing off further into the mall.

Rose turned to the Doctor. "Got enough?"

"Yeah," he replied.

"Shirts? Pants? Suits? Pajamas? Socks? Shoes? Jackets?"

"Rose, I can dress myself." She sighed and began walking towards the exit. He followed behind her. "Who was that?"

The response was abrupt. "Torchwood employee."

"Does 'Torchwood employee' have a name?"

"Savannah."

Silence had been a constant companion between the two, and it did not fail to appear after this short exchange. They made the entire trip back to Rose's flat cloaked in it. The Doctor retreated to his room with its shadow still following him. Rose began making lunch for the two of them. Not a word.

The Doctor finished putting up his clothes and walked back into the kitchen where Rose appeared to be making sandwiches. He watched her meticulous construction after she rejected his offer to help. When they were done, she turned, grabbed two cups from the cabinet, and handed him one. She filled up her cup with some tap water, so he followed suit. When he turned away from the sink, she'd already disappeared to her room.

He groaned. All things admitted, he'd hoped lunch would be a time for them to have some idle chat. She obviously wanted nothing to do with him. He missed the TARDIS. If Rose or any other companion was ever mad at him, his old girl would lock every door that led away from the console room. Getting problems dealt with quickly was the best way. Unfortunately, Rose could avoid him for days here if she kept slinking off to her room. And of course he was not going to chase after her and upset her more.

Just a few minutes later, she walked out of her room. "I'm going to my parents' place, then I'm going to stop by a friend's."

"All right," the Doctor replied. "I'll be here."

Rose knocked on her parents' door. It was opened by a butler. He recognized her and allowed her to walk into the house and continue to the sitting room upstairs.

"Mum! Pete!" Rose called as she walked.

"Rose!" the high-pitched squeal of Jackie rang from the sitting room. "Rose, darling!"

The younger blonde walked into the room. "Hello, Mum. I came to visit."

"Did you get settled in all right? The Doctor's all right, isn't he?"

"Yeah, of course. I'm settled in. He's settled in."

"Come sit." Jackie gestured to the part of the couch next to her. Rose walked over and sat down. "Now, what's wrong, sweetie? There is something wrong."

"Yeah, Mum." Rose looked down at her hands. "It's just—it's like—I don't know. It's like when he regenerated. And suddenly there's this new man. And he sounds like the Doctor, and he has the same memories as the Doctor, but . . . he's not. The Doctor's gone, and he's left this—this man behind."

"Oh, Rose. At least this one still looks like the Doctor. He's good-looking, too, you know. Quite good hair."

Rose smiled a bit at her mum's appraisal of the Doctor's looks. "But I don't know what he expects me to do. How am I supposed to 'heal' him?"

"Just be the wonderful Rose that you are. Didn't you heal the Doctor before?"

"But that was _different_, Mum!"

"Exactly! You only have to heal one heart instead of two. Be the Doctor's doctor."

"I don't know if I can this time."

"I think you ought to try, sweetie. If not for this one, then for the other one. The real one. And maybe you'll—" A wail from the playroom took a more pressing urgency. "Sorry, Rose. I've got to go deal with Tony. I'll be right back, after he's settled down. Stay right there."

Jackie bustled off to tend to her younger child. As soon as she was out of the door, Pete entered with a tea tray.

"Oh, hello, Rose."

"Hello, Pete."

"Everything all right?"

"Yeah, I guess. You?"

He chuckled. "Glad to have Jacks back. Tony was inconsolable while she was gone. We'd never get him to stop crying. Now all she has to do is enter the room."

"Must be nice."

Pete looked at her concernedly. "Do you miss all your problems being solved by your mum being in the room?"

Rose bit her lip and nodded. "Too bad it doesn't look like that's going to happen now."

"Doctor issues?" Rose nodded. "Well. Just remember," Pete paused to pick up something from the table next to him. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." He tossed the fruit at Rose.

She smiled. "I wish."

"You don't have to let him stay at your flat. Do you honestly want to get rid of him?"

"I—well . . . I miss the Doctor. The two-hearted, Time-Lord one. This one looks like him and acts like him . . . but he's not. He's more alien than the other one."

"Imagine how he must be feeling."

Rose looked up at her step-or-whatever-father. "What?"

"He's spent most of his life traveling around in a time machine. At least—he has the memories of it all. And now suddenly he's trapped on land. He's only got life on this one planet to look forward to. Dreadfully dull to anyone who's used to all of time and space. His one constant was the TARDIS, from what you've told me. And to top all that . . . the one familiar thing, the one thing he loves the most in this whole world . . . insists that he isn't real, an impostor. I'd say that's very disconcerting, wouldn't you?"

Rose stayed silent. Pete looked at her for a little longer before pouring himself a cup of tea and sipping the hot beverage. "Would you like some tea?"

"I—I'm dropping by a friend's later. But thanks. How was Torchwood while I was gone?"

"We spent most of the time praying for your success. Not much we could do if the universe was destroyed. A couple of stray Weevils."

"There will be something to do when I get back, right?"

"Of course. Now that everything's back, the aliens are buzzing with activity. Plenty of threats to the civilian life. And we need Rose Tyler to stop them."

"Right."

Jackie walked back into the room. "He'd just broken a toy or something. Thought we were gonna get mad at him. Oh, good, the tea's ready."

Pete handed her a cup. "Here you go."

Rose stayed with her parents for a little longer. They talked a bit, but eventually she left. She caught the bus to Savannah's house where she recounted her story of her adventures in "Norway". Afterwards, she traveled back to her flat.

She unlocked the door, expecting to see the Doctor sitting in the chair he'd taken to using as his reading chair. However, he was not in the chair. She walked further into the flat and called out for him. No response. She checked her watch: 4:54.

With a sigh, she settled down on her couch, embracing the time without the ghost in her apartment. She stared up at the ceiling until the doorknob clicked. The door swung open to reveal the Doctor.

He walked straight to his chair and sat down. Rose kept her position on the couch. She occasionally peeked at him to watch him read his large history book. He'd put on his reading glasses and was staring at the book quizzically. Finally, she spoke. "Hello."

He twitched a bit with surprise but returned her gaze. "Hello, Rose."

"Where were you?" the woman asked hesitantly.

"Oh, just out for a walk. Fresh air. Exploring and all that."

"Anything interesting?"

"Nothing much, really. Looks a lot like the old London. Big buildings, people walking around. How were your parents?"

"Fine. Tony's happy Mum's back."

"Who isn't happy to see their mother? How was your friend?"

"I told her about what happened. While we were in Norway."

He raised his eyebrows. "Right, Norway. Did you tell her about me?"

"She already knew a bit. I told her about you being here though. And going to work for Torchwood. She was excited to meet the illustrious Doctor."

"She'd probably be more excited to meet the real one. The alien one."

"I suppose so."

"He's the one you talk about all the time."

"He said that you are him . . ."

"Do you believe that?" He turned his body so he was fully facing her.

Rose's eyes raised to make contact with his. She kept looking at him for a few seconds, but eventually averted her gaze without an answer. He frowned quickly but changed his expression to a neutral one and continued reading.

Eventually Rose stood up and stretched. "Any suggestions for dinner?"

"Oh, not really. Do you need help?"

Rose shook her head. "I can make it by myself, thanks."

They ate dinner and then went off to separate rooms to pass time before sleeping. After dinner, the Doctor did not see Rose again that night. He turned on the television and found a news station that he settled down to watch.

After watching reporters talk about mundane events for an hour, he picked up another book and read until he heard a familiar sound: crying. He stood up and walked to Rose's bedroom. She was in almost the exact same position she'd been in the night before. She didn't look up as he stood in the doorway.

He walked back to the kitchen and, just as he'd done the day before, he made her tea.

As he set it beside her, he whispered, "Rose."

She looked at him with teary eyes and hissed, "Go."

He quickly backed away and scurried out of the room. He went straight to his room, closed the door, and tried to fall asleep. Eventually, he dozed off.

Rose finally got her crying under control. She looked at the cooling cup of tea and slowly extended her arm. She picked up the cup and took a sip. She continued to sip at the tea as she took a few calming breaths. Suddenly, she felt incredibly alone.

The blonde woman stood up carefully and walked out of her room with the tea in hand. She stood outside the door to the other bedroom for a few seconds before pushing it open. The Doctor was fast asleep inside. Rose looked at him briefly before walking to the chair beside the bed. She put her tea on the small table next to the chair and tucked her legs beneath her. He shifted positions, and she tensed but relaxed when he settled. She sat in the chair and watched him fidget in his sleep before she eventually fell asleep herself.


End file.
